Feels Like Home
by JustMichaela
Summary: Carmen is a country girl living in the city to fulfill her dreams of becoming a dancer. Edward is a surgical intern who is trapped by the pressures and expectations of his family. They meet and for the first time, Edward feels like he has a true home in her. Non-canon. Rated M for future lemons. Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer Owns All.
1. My Front Porch Looking In

Chapter One – My Front Porch Looking In

Carmen POV

" _Cause anywhere I'll ever go and everywhere I've been,_

 _Nothin' takes my breath away like my front porch lookin' in."_

-Lonestar

I close the door of truck and look around. I'm home. There's a comfort here. I'm not sure what I expected. There's been no change. It still smells the same. Hay, wildflowers, sunshine and life _._ It still sounds the same. Birds singing, horses snorting, and somewhere, I can even hear my mother singing to herself. She must have some windows open.

 _I'm home_.

I grab my bag and rush to the front door. She wooden door is open but the screen door is shut, allowing natural light to flood the foyer. I've heard her, now I need to see her. I set the duffel down by the door. I'll let her yell at me for it later. I head toward the kitchen where she usually is. Sure enough, I hear running water from what I'm sure is the sink.

"Mama? Mama, I'm home!" I call.

I hear the faucet turning off. "Carmen? Carmen, baby, is that you? I'm in the kitchen."

I pick up the pace and around the corner into the kitchen. Next thing I know, my mother's arms are wrapped around me. I smell the familiar scent of her perfume. She squeezes me and strokes my hair. She leans back and kisses my face all over.

"Oh, my sweet girl. I have missed you. I have missed you so much. What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow."

I bury my face in her blonde hair. "There was an earlier flight. I wanted to get home sooner to see you and Dad."

My mom releases me only to put my face in her hands and kiss my forehead. My smile gets bigger as I recall the many times she had done this during my childhood.

"I am so happy you are here, sweetheart. Let me look at you!"

She steps back from me and assess me. I know my brother and sister will have to go through the same process later. She twirls her finger in a circle, silently telling me to turn. I do as she wants, knowing better than to fight my mama.

"You're too thin. Are you eating enough? You aren't on some crazy diet, are you? I was watching something on T.V. the other day about how in Russia, their dancers do all sorts of crazy things to stay slim. You aren't doing that, are you?"

I laugh at her worried expression.

"No mom. I'm eating fine. Eating healthy. I promise." She makes a face which tells me that my answer is obviously not good enough for her.

"Yes, well…I will be putting some weight on you this week." She twirls a lock of my long dark hair around her finger. "It's gotten so long."

"Yeah. I've been thinking of cutting it. It's becoming a lot to handle every day."

She smiles in understanding. "We'll go and get it trimmed before the renewal. But first we need to go see your daddy. That man has been beside himself trying to be patient. Let's go see him. Oh, he'll just be tickled pink!"

My mom grabs my hand and begins pulling me through the house. My siblings and I grew up in this house. It's huge. Most large houses feel cold. Not this one. Vivienne Harlow Whitlock would not have that. My mother had turned the walls into a slide show of our family's life. Looking around my parents' house, you can see photos from their wedding day, my grandparents' wedding day, photos from all our birthdays, important milestones and of course, just random candid shots of her children.

I look back at my mom. She's taller than me. That's always been the case. My sister, Rosalie is the spitting image of her. Rose will never have to wonder how she will age. She just has to look at mom. Mom is still thin, yet curvy. Her long, wavy blonde hair has lightened in the years. I bet it will be white when she's old. Her sweetheart face is gentle and kind. She's a green-eyed angel. I used to look at her and wish so hard that my eyes would cross that I looked like her. My dark hair, light brown eyes and olive complexion are the exact opposite of hers.

I feel my mother squeeze my hand. She's excited to have her children all under one roof again. It's been a while.

"Jazz and Rose will be here tomorrow just like planned. Their flight lands in the morning." I tell Mom.

"Oh yes. Jasper sent me their itinerary. They're gunna rent a car and then drive down from Austin. I made sure all of your rooms were ready. So, take a bath tonight. I won't have you wallowin' dirty on clean sheets."

"I promise to take a shower Mama." I roll my eyes at her. She acts as though I don't like to be clean. I'm itching for a bath now.

"Don't roll those eyes at me. I may be gettin' up in my years but that doesn't mean I don't still have eyes in the back of my head. Have you met this friend Jasper is bringing tomorrow?"

she asks as she opens the screen door that leads to the back porch.

"Friend? What friend? He didn't say he was bringing anyone. Alice is stuck at school for some extra credit thing." I reply confused.

"Not Alice. I know she couldn't make it. Which was really just too bad. I miss her. I mean Jasper's friend, Edward. You haven't met him?"

I shake my head confused.

Seriously? I live less than twenty minutes from my brother. He can't even introduce me to someone who obviously knows well enough to bring to our parents' vowel renewal? What an ass hat.

I huff and blow my hair out of my face. "Nope. Never heard of him."

Mom lets go of my hand as we walk across the yard to the barn. I hear laughter in her voice as she bends down to pick up one of the hens that have flocked toward us looking for food.

"Now don't go gettin' all huffy. You both have schedules that are all kinds of hectic. He's in the surgical program with Jasper at school. I figured you might have met him."

I ignore her and unlatch the barn gate and walk in. I let mom walk in first and she sets the hen near the coop. The barn hasn't changed either. I can hear the horses in their stables, the pigs snorting, the sheep bleating.

Mom turns to me with a basket half full of eggs in her hands.

"Go on now," she says. "He's in the stables. They're putting new shoes on today. I'll be there as soon as I get all of these."

I grin and take off. Jasper, Rose, and I used to run through here all the time when we were kids. Whoever got to the end of barn first got bragging rights. They also got the biggest serving of whatever we had for dessert that night.

I turn the corner that leads to the stables and hear my dad's voice immediately. Deep, smooth, calm. Mom always said he had a voice that reminded her of bourbon. To me, it's more comforting than that. Daddy's voice is warm, makes you feel protected. Hearing his voice brought me truly home.

His voice is coming from the stall I know my favorite horse is in. Sure enough, when I get there I see my dad finishing up on Merlin's shoe. The jet-black horse notices me before anyone else in the stall does. He snorts and tries to step toward me but the stable hand stops him. I hold a finger to my lips letting the stable hand to not tell my dad I'm here.

"God dammit, Merlin. Just wait a damn minute." My dad grumbles under the horse.

I place my hand on Merlin's muzzle and he immediately calms down. I smile and give his soft nose a kiss.

"Be nice, Daddy. He is just excited to see me." I say. Dad immediately shoots up from the ground. There's a wide smile on his face. Age has been good to Rhett Whitlock. He hasn't changed much either. His brown hair has turned completely grey in age. There's more crinkles in the corner of his eyes from smiling.

"Carmen Vivienne, when the hell did you get in? Does your mama know you're here?" he asked me, wrapping me in a huge hug.

"Just now. Yes, Mama knows. She sent me in here."

My dad laughed his deep belly laugh and picked me up off the ground.

"My Lord girl! I have missed you! Come on. Mason here can finish Merlin up. I wanna hear more about your school and New York." He looked over at the stable hand and gave him the tools he had been holding. "Mase, grab one of the boys to help you. You don't need to be dealing with a horse by yourself. He's the last of the day. Finish up, and you're good to go."

I waited patiently for my dad and spent more time loving on Merlin. He had always been mine. I begged and begged for a horse of my own every day when I had turned nine. I still remember Daddy bringing him home and unloading him from the trailer. The way his black coat shined in the sunlight was absolutely beautiful. I immediately started running over to him to get a closer look when Mama started screeching at Daddy for buying such a big horse for me when I was so small. It didn't matter though. I was attached to him by the time I reached him.

He nudged me with his nose, looking for treats which made me giggle. I had just finished giving one last kiss when Dad put his Stetson on. Walking over, he grabs my arm to puts it through his and we start walking out of the barn.

"Alright. Now tell me everything. How is school going?" he asks.

"It's going good. Really good actually. I just got the part I wanted in our winter performance. As soon as I get back, I'll be throwing everything into that. I also have a couple of duet performances as well as a solo. Madam Da Ravin has told me if all goes well, I should have my pick of companies come time for graduation."

He smiled down at me and patted my hand. "You are doing amazing. I'm glad to hear it. You'll make sure to get us tickets for your performance and make sure to get your mama the date so we can be down there?"

My smile grew. "Really? You guys will come to New York?"

"You think I'm going to miss this? It's been too long since we've seen you light up a stage."

"Yeah, but you hate the city Dad."

He chuckles at that. "Well that's true. But I love my kids. So, this old man can suck it up to make sure he can see his babies' accomplishments." He lets go of my arm to open the gate. "Do you know what you'll be dancing to yet?"

"You have a performance coming up?" Mom interrupts as she finishes up with the chickens.

"A rather big one from what I gather." Dad replies. He walks over to her and kisses her cheek.

"It's not a huge performance. Just the winter showcase. I didn't try for the big performance. I did The Nutcracker last year. Madam suggested I not repeat. So, I'll do the showcase, I have three pointe ensemble numbers, a solo, my duet, and a duet that I was asked by a friend to do."

Both of my parents look at me like my head will explode at any moment.

"Do you plan on getting any rest while preparing for all that?" says Mom incredulously. I sigh. I should have just kept quiet.

"Oh, come on now Mama. We knew what I was getting myself into when I applied for Julliard. This is my shot. This is what it takes. I put the hard work in and it always pays off."

"We know that sweetheart," says Dad, "We just don't want you to overwork yourself to the point where it's dangerous for your health.

"Jasper works eighty hours a week, plus all his studying he has to do. Rose is up all hours of the night always tinkering away at something. It really is no different and you don't get all worked up over that."

My mother sighs and closes her eyes for a moment. "I guess you are right about that. But you promise me, _promise me_ , that if you feel like you are becoming overwhelmed at all, that you remember to slow down and give up some of that work load young lady." She fixes me with a hard glare and I know I have no choice but to give into her demands.

"I promise. I swear. I'll be alright though. I also have a hot shot doctor big brother and an over bearing big sister who watch out over me too, remember?" I say smiling.

"We remember." Laughs dad. "And don't think we won't be talkin' to them either. You all need to make sure that you are taking care of yourselves and after each other. That's how we raised you."

"Yes sir." I reply with a grin.

"Now. I'm starving. So why don't we sweet talk your Mama into making us some supper and you can tell us what exactly you'll be dancing to."

He wraps my arm around his and grabs my mother's hand.

"I think I could fry up some chicken and put together some sides real quick." Mom says as we walk out of the barn.

 _Yes. It was great to be home again._

 **Authors Notes: Like it or hate it, leave a review. I'd appreciate it.**


	2. Hallalujah

Chapter Two – Hallelujah

Edward POV

" _And from your lips she drew the hallelujah."_

-Jeff Buckley

To say this place was drastically different from my home was an understatement. There was no constant business that made you dizzy if you weren't careful. There wasn't a rush for anything it seemed. This kind of different was good.

We had been in the rental Suburban for a while it seemed but I didn't mind. Good music was playing, I had my friends and most importantly, I was far, far away from New York. Right now, life was great.

"Hey, Edward." My best friend, Jasper, said from the front seat. "We're on the property now. Welcome to Haven Ranch." He turned and smiled at me.

It didn't seem possible. We passed through a brick arch entrance with the name 'Haven Ranch' written on it. The road turned to gravel and things started to get a bit bumpy. That didn't take away from the beauty at all though. There was a vast expanse of what looked like a sea of brown dotted with white.

"All of this is one ranch? It's all one piece of property? Is that cotton?" I asked in awe. Being born and raised in a place like Manhattan, I had never seen anything like it in person.

"Yeah. Our dad bought a farm quite a few years back that grew cotton. He didn't want to just let that go so he continued to keep it growing. The other half of the property is for livestock. Mom and dad do pretty well for themselves."

I nodded, pretty impressed and continue to look out to the window as Jasper drives down the road.

"Thanks again for the invite."

Rosalie's head comes into my line of vision from the back row of seats.

"Quit thanking us. Seriously. My parents love the company. They try to be everyone's mom and dad."

"Rosie's right, Ed. Rhett is that T.V. show dad you always thought was fake, and Viv has the best cooking in the world." Emmett said letting out a very sexual moan that grossed me out.

Alice giggled from her seat. "You aren't wrong. She sent Carmen and I these cookies last month and I seriously think I left Carmen maybe two out of two dozen. They were amazing."

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait! My mama sent _you_ cookies and not me? Rose did you get some?" Jasper interrupted. We all laughed at his outraged face.

"Relax. It was only because she thinks Carmen is starving herself. If only she knew that girl stuffs her face every chance she gets." They all laughed at that. I personally had not met Rose and Jasper's younger sister. All I know about her is she dances at Julliard.

We pulled up to a house that looked like something out of a Southern Living magazine. It was massive. Two stories with a wraparound porch with one end ending in a gazebo. The upper story Had several doors that opened up to a huge balcony. I noticed a few bench swings installed on both stories as well. The navy-blue shutters and two giant oak trees out front complimented the house in a way that made it seem more like a home.

"Whoa." I heard Alice say.

Rosalie laughed. "I know right. Mama always had a dream house in mind and when Mama told Daddy they were pregnant with Jasper, he started building this place for her. We've lived here our entire lives."

"That's so romantic!" Alice squealed. "Jazz would you do that for me?"

Jasper laughed while putting the truck in park. "Darlin' you know I'd do anything for you."

We opened the doors and got out. Us guys went to the back of the vehicle to unload the bags. I heard the opening of a screen door.

"RHETT! GET OUT HERE! THEY'RE HERE!" I saw Jasper smile while we grabbed everything and headed towards the house.

"Hi, Mama." Jazz said walking towards his mother. It was crazy how much Rose looked like her mother. Same long blonde hair. Same bright blue eyes. The only difference really was that where Rosalie was tall, maybe 5'10, her mother was more of an average height.

"Hi, son. Come and give me hug. My Lord, I have just missed you all so much!" She pulled him close and hugged him tight. She hadn't let him go when I heard the door again and saw a man step out that looked like an older version of Jasper. Did these people just clone themselves instead of having kids?

"DADDY!" Rosalie screamed before running to him. She bounded up the steps and jumped into his arms.

"Hey there Rosie!" The older man laughed.

Jasper had finally escaped his mother's embrace. "Jasper Sterling Whitlock, you are entirely too thin! You and Carmen both! Rhett, my babies are starving themselves!" Everyone started laughing.

"Vivi, your babies are grown and fine. Now let my son go so he can breathe." Rhett replied with a chuckle.

They moved on to saying their hellos to Emmett and Alice next. I was just kind of standing there awkwardly. This family was completely different than my own. Sure, my mother was warm and nurturing behind closed doors. But in front of guests, she had an image to uphold. My father would never have let anyone even wrinkle his suits and here was Rhett letting his daughter jump on him for a hug. Greeting my parents was just exchanging pleasantries. Rose and Jasper's parents practically had love pouring out of their pores for their children and their significant others.

"And you must be Edward." Jasper's mother stepped to me.

"Oh. Um…Yes ma'am. It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Whitlock. Thank you for inviting me into your home." I extended my hand to her.

"Such great manners. Hopefully you are rubbing off on my son. You are very welcome here. The more the merrier." She grasped my hand and squeezed it in both of hers. "Please. Call me Vivienne or Vivi. This is my husband, Rhett."

She stepped aside so I could greet him. He extended his hand before I could.

"Nice to meet you, son. Jasper has told us a lot about you. Said you were turning into a damn fine surgeon." I smiled and shook his hand.

"Well, he and I seem to be dominating the hospital together, sir."

He laughed loudly. "That's exactly what I like to hear. Now, let's get you all inside and settled. Your mother has dinner going and I'm not waitin' on anyone to eat it."

"How come Carmen didn't come out, Dad?" I heard Jasper ask.

"She's around here somewhere. She's been on that horse since she got here."

"Here she comes. Looks like she's been in the east pasture."

I turned my head to look where everyone else was looking. All I saw was a black horse moving quickly through the field. The closer it got, the more you could see someone was riding it. It got to the gate and the horse jumped the fence.

"Now she knows I hate it when she does that." I heard Vivienne grumble.

The horse got close and the rider hopped off.

"Ali, you said you couldn't make it!" She said, wrapping Alice in a huge hug.

"Madam De Ravin let me take the assessment early. So, I hopped on the plane with everyone else."

All I could do was stare at this girl in front of me. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. Her dark hair was up in a high ponytail, but you could still tell that it was long with gorgeous stunning waves. Her skin was a caramel color that was glistening a bit in the sun due to a bit of sweat. Who knew sweat could be sexy?

I think Alice saw the way I was looking at her, because for some reason she brought her over and introduced me to her. She stood about two heads shorter than me.

"Carmen, this is Edward Cullen. That friend of Jasper's from the hospital. Edward this is Jasper's youngest sister, Carmen De La Rosa." Carmen rolled her eyes at Alice's antics.

"Hey. Nice to meet you. My brother has told me absolutely nothing about you." She said extending her hand.

I smiled and shook it. She shared the same slight southern twang that Jazz and Rose had. It was adorable.

"No worries. All Jasper talks about with me is Alice and your mother's cooking."

Holy fuck she was just gorgeous. The thoughts I was having about her in front of her own damn family were just down right sinful. But, her body was perfect. Slim yet curvy all at the same time. I could seriously just push her against the wall and kiss the shit out of her until we were dying for air.

 _Whoa, Cullen. Calm the fuck down._

"Yeah, well, that sounds like my brother." She laughed.

"Carmen and Rosalie, please take our guests upstairs and show everyone where they will be staying. Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett, we are allowing you to share rooms but please refrain from making us grandparents so soon. You all still have so much school ahead of you."

Carmen laughed and headed up the front steps while her siblings grumbled. I grabbed my bag and followed Carmen, watching her the entire way. She definitely had a dancer's body. Thick thighs that looked strong, her ass looked amazing in the jean shorts she was wearing.

"Mama, everyone except Edward knows where things are around here." Rosalie joked.

"It's no reason to be rude Rosalie Lillian Whitlock!"

We all laughed, heading into the house. The walls were tastefully covered with pictures of the family throughout the years. When we got to the main room, a large family portrait. It wasn't stiff as my own family's. They were relaxed on a beach, smiling and happy.

"Come on. They're going to go unpack their stuff. I'll show you your room." Carmen said, bringing me back to what was going on around me. She was smiling at me. Did I mention how damn beautiful this girl was?

I followed her up the left staircase trying hard to be a gentleman and not stare at her ass.

"Guys dinner will be in about twenty minutes."

A chorus of 'yes ma'am's met her.

"We're at the end of the hall. I hope you like the room. You have the guest room next to my room. If you want, I can show you around the property later."

"That'd be great. Jasper says this place is amazing."

She looked back at me and laughed. "It is pretty great. Sometimes it's hard to believe I was lucky enough to grow up here."

"You're the youngest right?" I asked as she stopped at a door.

"Yeah. Jazz is the oldest. Then Rose. Then me. My parents had their hands full with us."

"It sounds like it. From the stories I've heard from Jazz, sounds like he kept your parents on their toes by himself."

Carmen laughed. Damn that was a beautiful sound. I wanted her to do it more.

"Always. I, of course, was the innocent one." She tried to give me an innocent look.

"For some reason, I don't believe that." I teased. It made her laugh again.

"Believe what you want I suppose. I am an angel."

She stopped at door and turned to wink at me with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, you and I share a bathroom. So, lock or knock please. I'll remember to do the same. I'll see you down stairs for dinner."

And with that, she left the room and closed the door. All I could do was sit on the bed and look at the door.

I'm not sure what it was about this girl, but she made me feel things just in one meeting that I couldn't know I could feel.

I was royally fucked. And I was secretly praising the heavens about it.


End file.
